Saturday, 17 May 2014

PUNE: As many as 6,404 voters in the city chose to press the last button on the ballot unit-NOTA (none of above), an option given to voters for the first time in Lok Sabha elections.

Among the four constituencies in Pune district, Baramati had the highest number of NOTA voters at 14,216. In Maval, 11,186 voters opted for it, while in Shirur only 7 voters decided not to vote for any of the candidates.

Interestingly, many independent candidates secured votes less than the numbers cast for NOTA. In Pune, the ballot score of 22 candidates was less than the total votes cast as NOTA. Among the 9 candidates in Baramati, as many as 5 candidates secured less votes than the none of the above option, while out of 19 candidates in Maval, 13 could not match the NOTA tally.

Political observers said that though NOTA vote-share stood around 1% in all four constituencies in Pune district, these votes cannot be ignored. "Until now, there was no such option on voting machines. It is up to parties to give a thought to the voters' sentiments," an observer said.